Wildfires cost Monterey County at least $10 million

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Burned trees from the Soberanes Fire in the Palo Colorado Canyon. According to a report to be presented to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday, the Soberanes and Chimney fires have cost Monterey County an estimated $10 million in emergency response and support and damage to roads and other infrastructure this year. (Vern Fisher – Monterey Herald)

Salinas – It has cost Monterey County an estimated $10 million in emergency response and support, and damage to roads and other infrastructure as a result of the Soberanes and Chimney fires this year. The county is facing a drained contingency fund, and limited federal and state funding to cover the bill.

According to a staff report to be considered by the Board of Supervisors during Tuesday’s meeting, that $10 million cost estimate is expected to increase during the post-fire recovery period, which could include further damage from increased erosion and post-fire flooding during any significant rainstorms this winter. But the report indicates the county’s $4.7 million operational contingency fund is already spoken for, and is even underwater by $5 million, due to $9.7 million in unbudgeted but mandatory needs.

At the same time, the report indicates federal Fire Management Assistance Grant funding the county has been approved for will cover only about 10-15 percent of the overall bill while state officials have notified the county it will not qualify for reimbursement of costs under the California Disaster Assistance Act.

Even if the rainy season accrues another $2 million in damage and other costs for the county, about what it did this year, it could be facing an unpaid bill of $11-$13 million, and that doesn’t include the loss of property tax and sales tax revenue due to the fires.

Resource Management Agency director Carl Holm said the report lays out a challenging scenario with difficult choices the county is facing.

“It’s a very ominous kind of report, but I felt the information needed to be out there,” Holm said. “I just wanted to give the Board of Supervisors the information so they understand the magnitude of what we are facing.”

Now fully contained, the Soberanes Fire started from an illegal campfire on July 22 and has burned for more than three months, costing an estimated $250 million to fight and becoming one of the most expensive wildfires in the nation’s history. It has claimed 57 homes and 11 outbuildings, and burned more than 132,000 acres.

In addition to damage to public infrastructure, the report points out that the fire damaged or destroyed private water systems and left residents without potable water, and resulted in uninsured or underinsured residents without the means to rebuild.

The Chimney Fire broke out Aug. 13 south of Lake Nacimiento and burned for nearly a month, claiming 49 homes and 46,000 acres.